Joining the ranks of OpenAI, xAI and other tech companies signing lucrative government contracts, Google has agreed to the Pentagon’s language around “any lawful government purpose,” triggering a rise in its stock price, and a decline in morale among hundreds of Google employees (including 20 principals, directors, and VPs). The deal is the latest to conflate the need for revenue with ethical concerns regarding AI in lethal, autonomous, or surveillance systems. In an open letter to CEO Sundar Pinchai, employees say Google’s “Ethical AI Principles should outweigh revenue garnered from national security and military contracts that potentially go against the previously espoused principle of “avoiding the business of war.“

To get more on this story, check out the deeper dive in RCRTech.

Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech

AI Infrastructure Top Stories

Google contract with Pentagon: Is the allure of government contracts too attractive to ignore for Google, OpenAI, xAI, and other tech giants willing to forego ethical standards that previously applied to consumer and enterprise markets?

Singapore’s floating DC: Global asset manager and operator Keppel has begun construction on a floating 25MW data center that will use a closed-loop seawater cooling system, low-GWP refrigerants, and bunded underground diesel storage.

Opinion on Cisco quantum scaling: Cisco’s “universal quantum switch” sits somewhere between real-time physics, long-term infrastructure, and world-changing marketing bombast, which makes it compelling, but “more extreme than normal.”

View More News

AI Today: What You Need to Know

Day 1 of Musk-Altman trial: Already attorneys for both sides are firing on all cylinders, with OpenAI lawyers criticizing recent tweets by Musk on X, in which he assailed Altman as “Scam Altman” and accused him of having “stolen a charity.”

Electricians ‘apply here’: In Texas, home builders are competing with data center builders for much-needed electricians, emphasizing the need to fill about 80,000 per year for the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

VA Dems disagree: Some of Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers want to end a $1.9 billion tax exemption for data centers to generate revenue for social programs, but Governor Abigail Spanberger wants to preserve Virginia’s data center leadership.

Ohio DC crossroads: “It’s pretty clear to me that the data center issue is No. 2 for voters, and it’s moving up,” Buckeye Institute fellow Greg Lawson said, with the potential to add $20B to the economy by 2030, but at what cost, ask opponents?

Oracle DC in Michigan: Oracle secured $16B for a data center in Saline Township, Michigan, with equity from Related Digital and funds affiliated with Blackstone, along with fixed-rate, long-term debt anchored by PIMCO-managed funds and accounts.

Semiconductor stocks decline: After a strong run for chip stocks, Lattice Semi plunged 5.8% today, amid a sector-wide selloff sparked by increased scrutiny on OpenAI, after Wall Street Journal reporting about missed internal targets.

RCR Events

Defense Communications Forum, April 28th

Join defense leaders, technology innovators and system integrators and explore how commercial network solutions can be adapted to meet defense-grade requirements, enabling secure, resilient, AI-driven, multi-bearer networks.

Test & Measurement Forum, May 19

Join the annual Test & Measurement Forum where industry leaders, innovators, and engineers come together to tackle the most pressing test and measurement challenges in telco today. Register now

Telco AI Forum, June 16th

Telco AI Forum brings together operators, vendors, hyperscalers, and academia to explore how the industry and partnership ecosystem evolution are laying the foundations for AI-native 6G networks and unlocking ROI. Register now